"...The American military have confirmed to us that it is genuine. But it isn't clear whether what we're seeing is a massacre or a military operation in this rare and disturbing example of real footage of the fighting. ...

As Fallujah again comes into US gunsights many will want to know who were these people? Insurgents? Innocents? Running away from trouble? running to attack? Tonight a doctor who was at Fallujah hospital told us these people were innocent civilians fleeing from houses where they'd been pinned down by American snipers by running down the street.

The Pentagon says its chasing answers but has yet to explain why these people were targeted. ..."

"...Overnight, this programme received from Baghdad the official US military version of what happened.

It says US Marines were pinned down by fighting somewhere towards the bottom of this wide, empty street. ...

A ground commander saw this crowd come out along the road and fire at the Marines.

That commander had already asked an F16 pilot overhead to target a building from where insurgents had fired.

So when the crowd appeared and the pilot asked what to do, the ground commander knew the pilot was looking at the same hostile crowd as he was and could give the order to bomb them immediately.

"As the F-16 aimed on the building, the pilot saw a group of people come running out of the building, around the corner, and towards the Marine unit under fire. When the pilot queried about the group, the JTAC cleared him to engage...those were the people shooting at the Marines"